Chestnut-crowned Antpitta, the star of the Rio Blanco feeders! Photo: Fabrice Schmitt
With more than 1,900 species having been recorded in the country, including no fewer than 80 endemics, Colombia is truly a birder’s paradise, where flocks of beautiful tanagers, endemic and unique birds, skulking antpittas and tapaculos, challenging tyrant-flycatchers, colorful cotingas and trogons, sparkling hummingbirds and so much more await.
Over the last decade, ecotourism has developed strongly in Colombia, and birdwatchers are welcome everywhere. Feeding stations have sprung up all over the country and it’s now possible to admire and photograph dozens of species of buzzing hummingbirds or multicolored tanagers while sipping a cup of Colombian coffee! Even shy antpittas are fed with worms and can be observed up close, sometimes just one or two meters away!
This new Central Colombia tour explores the Eastern and Central Cordilleras and the Magdalena Valley. We’ll visit a variety of habitats from high-altitude paramo with Espeletia and montane humid forests of both cordilleras to tropical dry forests in the Magdalena Valley. We’ll enjoy a relaxed pace, alternating between walks in natural environments and pauses for quiet observation of hummingbirds and tanagers – a fantastic introduction to Colombia, and to South America in general.
Day 1: You’ll be met on arrival in Bogotá and transferred to our hotel where the tour begins this evening. Night in Bogotá.
Day 2: We’ll set off early this morning for a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Chingaza National Park, where amongst beautiful Andean scenery we’ll look for the endemic Brown-breasted Parakeet, near endemic Mattoral Tapaculo and Rufous-browed Conebill, and a host of high elevation and temperate forest species including Andean Guan, Bronze-tailed Thornbill, Muisca Antpitta, White-chinned Thistletail, Golden-fronted Redstart and Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager. After lunch near the town of La Calera, we’ll head towards the ‘Observatorio de Colibries’ (Hummingbirds Observatory), our first hummingbird feeding station. Enjoying a cup of coffee, we expect to see, amongst numerous Sparkling Violetears, a few White-bellied Woodstars, Glowing Pufflegs, Tyrian Metaltails or even the unique and impressive Sword-billed Hummingbird. The endemic Blue-throated Starfrontlet also occasionally visits the feeders, and Red-crested Cotinga is often seen in the garden. After a fun first day filled with birds, we’ll return to Bogota. Night in Bogota.
Day 3: After an early breakfast, we’ll spend a few hours in La Florida Park, a marsh and lake close to the international airport where our targets include a vulnerable Colombian endemic, the Bogota Rail, along with other specialties like Spot-flanked Gallinule and Yellow-hooded Blackbird. We’ll then drive to lower elevation. If time permits, we’ll make a stop at Laguna Tabacal, but our main attraction on the way to La Victoria will is the amazing Jardin Encantado, where dozens of feeders attract sometimes hundreds of hummingbirds, among them the endemic Indigo-capped Hummingbird, the widespread Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and White-vented Plumeleteer, and localized Gorgeted Woodstar. After visiting this very unique place, we will spend most of the afternoon driving to La Victoria. Night in La Victoria.
Day 4: We’ll spend our morning in the forest above La Victoria looking for several endemics including Sooty Ant-Tanager, Beautiful Woodpecker, White-mantled Barbet and Colombian Chachalaca. The forest here is home to many birds, and we are sure to encounter a host of common species. Manakins are especially well-represented with the possibility of White-bearded, White-bibbed, Striped and Golden-headed. We’ll also keep an eye out for the endemic White-footed Tamarin, a primate which is being intensively studied at this site. We’ll stay until late morning and then drop down into the hot Magdalena Valley, stopping for lunch on the way. We’ll spend the afternoon in dry forest near Laguna del Hato where we hope to see the endemic Velvet-fronted Euphonia, both Jet and White-bellied Antbirds, Barred Puffbird, Rufous-tailed Jacamar and possibly Crested Bobwhite. Later we’ll make our way to Ibague and then up into the cooler temperatures of Combeima Canyon, where we’ll spend two nights in a pleasant country hotel. Night near Ibague.
Day 5: This morning we’ll be up early for our forty-minute hike to the small Ukuku Lodge, where we will station ourselves in the lounge to wait for the arrival of the endemic Tolima Doves that often visit the seeded lawn at dawn. Hopefully having seen this enigmatic species, we will then stake out some flowers in the garden in the hope of Tolima Blossomcrown. The gardens themselves can often be very birdy and along with a third endemic – Yellow-headed Brush finch – we also hope to enjoy a good selection of hummers and tanagers at the various feeders. We will have breakfast and lunch here and then make a slow hike back to our hotel, with the possibility of Torrent Duck and Torrent Tyrannulet along the river. Night near Ibague.
Day 6: After the previous early mornings, we will enjoy a later breakfast today before our drive to Otun Quimbaya Ecological Reserve, near La Suiza. We’ll probably make one or two birding stops along the way to look for Apical Flycatcher or Spectacled Parrotlet if we haven’t seen them yet, and arrive after lunch for an afternoon of birding at the reserve. Here we’ll look for Collared Trogon, Rufous-breasted Flycatcher, Black-winged Saltator or a gorup of Colombian Red Howler monkeys. Night at Otun Quimbaya.
Day 7: We’ll be birding all morning along a beautiful track through good forest at 6,500 feet. The endemic Cauca Guan is reasonably common here, and we also have a chance of seeing the stunning Torrent Duck or the elusive Crested Ant-Tanager. We’ll be on the lookout for the endemic Multicolored Tanager, as well as exciting mixed-species feeding flocks. Another attraction of this site is Red-ruffed Fruitcrow and we hope to obtain great views of this large and impressive cotinga. After a full morning birding at Otun Quimbaya, we’ll have lunch and make our way towards Manizales. Night in a country hotel just outside Manizales.
Day 8: Today we’ll visit the Rio Blanco reserve for a long but bird-filled day. We’ll arrive early and bird around the small lodge, looking for such species as Black-billed Mountain Toucan, Sickle-winged Guan, Dusky Piha and Black-collared Jay. About an hour after dawn, we’ll be led by a local guide to special antpitta feeding stations where we hope to enjoy close-up views of the endemic Brown-banded Antpitta and the impressive Chestnut-crowned Antpitta. We also have a good chance of seeing Bicolored, Chestnut-naped, and Slate-crowned Antpittas, all of which visit various feeding stations in the forest off and on throughout the year. Much of the remainder of the day will be spent exploring the excellent network of trails. The mixed flocks at this site are often large and varied and we will hope to connect with several species of hemispingus, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Pearled Treerunner and many tanagers. This site is also rich in skulkers, and we’ll be looking for several tapaculos and the elusive Masked Saltator. We’ll take a break for lunch at the lodge and enjoy the spectacular hummingbird show at the feeders and then then continue birding at the reserve all afternoon. Night outside Manizales.
Day 9: Today we’ll have a full morning at Hacienda El Bosque above Manizales where various feeding stations attract great birds such as Andean Guan, White-throated Quail-Dove and Gray-browed Brushfinch. The beautiful Barred Fruiteater is often spotted grabbing worms thrown to the Equatorial Antpitta, and even Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucans come in to fruit! This is also the only place where it is possible to see the charismatic Crescent-faced Antpitta coming in to get some worms, even if like any superstar, its appearance is never guaranteed. After a full morning at this unique location (including breakfast and lunch there) we’ll head toward Nevado del Ruiz National Park, spending part of the afternoon looking for Paramo Tapaculo, White-banded Tyrannulet, Buff-breasted Mountain-Tanager, and Black-backed Bush-Tanager amidst spectacular scenery. Night outside Manizales.
Day 10: Today we’ll climb back out of the city to the high elevation Nevado del Ruiz National Park (13,000 feet) for a second chance to bird the paramo zone, on the lookout for the endemic and very localized Rufous-fronted Parakeet. Flowering bushes attract a variety of colorful hummingbirds including Viridian Metaltail, Golden-breasted Puffleg and Shining Sunbeam. On occasion, the nomadic Black-thighed Puffleg can be present in some numbers, but at other times it’s absent. Tawny Antpittas are often very tame here and we’ll also search for the dazzling Buffy Helmetcrest. Our lunch spot is a hotel which features thermal pools and you’ll have the option to bathe in the sulphureous waters here. There are also has a few feeders attracting some of the high-elevation hummingbirds of the area, as well as Lacrimose Tanager and Masked Flowerpiercer. After lunch we’ll drive on to Pereira to conclude the tour with a great farewell dinner. Night in Pereira.
Day 11: The tour ends this morning with transfer to Pereira airport.
Updated: 05 September 2023
Prices
- 2024 Tour Price : $3,950
- Single Occupancy Supplement : $290
- 2025 Tour Price Not Yet Available
Notes
Questions? Tour Manager: Erin Olmstead. Call 1-866-547-9868 (US or Canada) or (01) 520-320-9868 or click here to email.
* Tour invoices paid by check carry a 4% discount. Details here.
This tour is limited to eight participants with one leader.